Refrigerating apparatus



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REFRIGERATING APPARATUS. APPLICAHOVN FILED FE'B.23,192|.

1 ,428, 3 6 1 Patented Sept` 5, 1922.

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vW. AND I. W. [TAY BEFRIGE'HATING APPARATUS. APPucAvnoN FILED FEB.23.1921.

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REFRIGERAUNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, i921. 1 ,428.361, Fmfed Sept. 5, 1922'.

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w. AND L 1W. DAY. REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23,1921. 1,428,361, PatentedSept. 5,1922.

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Zh/enfer.;

Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALLACE DAY AND JOHN HAUT-3R DAY, OF WIAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO MILFRED L. GREENSTREET, OF MAPLEWOOD, MISSOUR.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 23, 1921. Serial No. 447,125.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, YWann-fion DAY and JOHN WALTER DAY, citizens of the United States, residing at Maplewood, St. Louis County, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigcrating Apparatus, of which the folhowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same, reference being had to t-he accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specilication.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in method of and apparatus for refrigeration, the object being to construct an apparatus of the character described which will be automatically operated with the least amount of power, producing a degree of refrigeration in the rcfrigerating chamber as desired by predetermined adjustments of the parts.

Vhile we have shown an apparatus in the accompanying drawings which is self-coin tained and designed to be placed in the ice chamber of an ordinary doin ,scie refrigerator or ice-box, it is obvious that our invention is capable of use in larger appliances, such as cold storage warehouses, in refrigerator cars, water coolers, etc. lNe have louiiid that nitrate of ammonia is a goed re- 'lrigerant to employ, but we are aware that other chemicals may be used either in liquid form, lump form, powdered form, or tablets. Therefore, in referring to a chemical We do not wish to be limited to the `granular form of nitrate of ammonia, :for which we have heretofore expressed a preference. f

To have also found that water can bel advantageously employed with the refrigerant, but we do not wish to be limited to natural water, as certain ingredients may be combined therewith in solution, and which under certain conditions might assist in the absorption of heat. lv'lechanical means are `provided, perferably operated by an electric motor or a spring motor, or power derived from other sources may be employed for the 'purpose of supplyinga charge of liquid and chemical into a mixing pan where the same is agitated for the purpose of forming;- a ref frigerating solution. The solution thus formed in the pan may overflow into a coil pipe and be finally discharged as waste, or the chemical in the solution may be recovered, but such forms no part of my present invention; or the solution may be used over again.

The charging of the bath in the refrigerating pan is controlled by mechanical means and occupies but a comparatively short space of time, the agitation of the bath, however, extends over a relatively longer period of time for the purpose of completely dissolving the chemical in the bath. At the end of this agitating operation, the current is shut ofi from the motor or the motor is disconnected from the driving train so that the refrigerant isv given an opportunity to absorb the heat from the refrigerating chamber. The motor circuit is broken by a tappet operated by an intermittent mechanism driven from the motor circuit, and in breaking; the motor circuit, this tappet stresses the thermostat bar and places a lever in position to be operated in stressing the bar in an opposite direction to close the circuit on a rising;` temperature. The charging of a chemical into the mixing pan, and the replenishing of a fresh supply of liquid therein produces a reduction of temperature in the re'frigor'ating` chamber with the result that the thermostat bar whose action is influenced by the temperature of the refrigerating chamber is held in a position to maintain the contacts open. Vhen the heat units in the refrigerating chamber are absorbed by the refrigerant, the thermostat bar, on a rising temperature will start to move in an opposite direction, and will effect the release of the lever and close the motor circuit and stress the bar when said motor circuit is closed, Hence, when a predetermined higl'i temperature is reached in the refrigerating chamber, the lever will be tripped so as to malle contact and complete the current through the motor, thus starting the motor on another cycle of operations. The operation of the motor causes the intermittent movement of an element which will cooper ate with said bar to open the motor circuit, but the motor circuit is closed by the influence of the rising temperature on said bar whciuwer that may occur.

During the operation of the motor a charge of fresh liquid and chemical is introduced into the bath and agitated. rlllie refrigerant will new again reduce the temperature in the refrigerating chamber. rllhe thermostat in this lowering temperature will set the lever in position to be tripped when the the:u inostat inoves in an opposite direction in a rising temperature in the i'et'rigerating` chamber.

Other Yfeatures of our invention will be more clearly set forth in the following desoription.

ln the accompanying drawings iiorining part of oit this application, and in which like figures refer to like parts Wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a conventional illustration in vertical section of a doinestic refrigerator showing our iinproved apparatus in position therein.

Figure 2 .is a top plan vienI or' the apparatus.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional vie'iv ol' the apparatus,

lligure 3 is a horizontal sectional vieiv through one of the closed chambers showing` the removable trough or drawer in position.

Figure l is a horizontal sectional view on line 4wd of Figure 3.

F igure 5 is a plan view oit the mixing tanlr.

Fi gure G is a detail view of the thermostat and its connections,

Figure is a front elevational vieiv oit said thern'iostat.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are side elevational views of a tappet which cooperates 'With the tlierii'iostat.

Figures 89 9, and 10l are plan views partlyv in horizontal section showing; diliineiit positions ot the tlierniosi'iat bar relative to the tappet actuated ineniber.

Figure 11 is an elevational View oi" the power-driven. train.

Figure '12 is a detail vieiv ol the intei mittently di'iveii Wheel which oirierates the A tappeti.

said cani the valve domestic reti-'gator having the usual ice chamber 2 and coinirirtinents 3 and f1 in which 'foodstuffs and the like may be placed :lfor preservation. 1We have shown our iniproved auparatus a eoinpaot unit d signed to he placed in the .ice chamber oil the refrigerator, this unit consisting` oli a mixing pan 5u ircirrably placed in the bottoni oli the chamber, on `which pan is a framework consisting or standards 'i' and crossbars 8, preferably inade to init ivitliin centering` chairs 9 which prevent lateral dis )lacenient of the traine *iL-9 relative to the iniiing' pan.

as slioivn in Figiiire 3,

This .niiiing' pau9 idiii u'ith i. at tl their iront endsy tivo or more rectangular ieir rear ends and open at said hores being sealed lroin the interim' oi'f he inirins; chaiiilier and containing; .inetal (l L/ivers or troughs 11 in which Water or other raibstances ay be placed to be frozen. rlhese drawers 11 have :liront walls 12 which YXteiiil. over and close the liront ends olY -e onen bo es 101 said iront Walls lfieiiif;v provided ".vitli haiulles l?) by which they may be manipulated.

141-. indicates a spiderlilre F.: i ring1 fitting` in a central opening in the rop wall oi? a iiii'xiiiig pan 5 and having downwardljii en tending` iiangres 15 whose lov-fer ends terinie nate close to 'inclined .iai-tition walls 1G ei:-

'"'i'oiii the bottoni Wallis tending' upwardly i oil? the boxes 10. 1T iniflicates a cylinder preferably inade o'li ivirc incsli secured to the lower ends oi.E flan er; 1V ris'lgii'ig upon the Yllanged baille p .l aille irili'il'es forii'iingg; a hearing; lior shaft 19 iv end finds a hearing' in the spider .llY and is provided with. a collar resting` upon said spider.

21 iii di Cates a, ini? wheel having` c iri'eil reni periphei i J lending n and which iiiiiiagj ivliij-.el is designed to :ig` inthe 'wat-er and i-lieiiiieal discharged into the inix ing; pan u'itliiii the wire inesh cylinder and torni, the reli'igei'atii 2; solution. this nurture is toi-ined by i" ro-tation oli the ii'iiXiiipj wheel E313 'iron/ii oiitwai'dli' it is t through the wire inosh cylinder and hiriliweiii the baille plates l@ and I9. ln order lio preifeut the iininediate escape o'lf the i'elfr' feraiiup; solution, ive niay 'provide a bloclnifgj-olif partition 23 so that the solution will practicallj',7 have to tiaif'el. in a ciiiiiii'.oiis 'path througggh the iiiiliiiig' pan before reaching' the overflow pipe il-li '..ihis oi'ei-l'loiv pipe leads down into a receptacle Salz-'i 'loi'iiiiiiig a liquid sealr` Ylioiii which i'ereptai'le leads :i waste pipe 36.

27 indicates a, pi'iipellei located on the lower end ol" shaft l( 'the i'e'lfiiii'" .l 'for toi-cli ei'sitiiigsolution doivii through pipe 3th in" erablj/r liai'irgv an i'iiitiviiidiv openingcheck 'valve 53S) located naar its upper end., said pipe 'loiiningij a coil ill Whose bottoni fslietcli is provdei'l with a drain noch 31 and is connected to an ascending coil 32 also having a drain cock 33 in its ripper stretch, said 'upper stretch leading into the mixing pan slightly below the level of the refrigerating solution therein by means of a pipe 34. (See lf'igures 1 and 3).

35 indicates liquid tanks in which water or liquid solution :is placed through au opening normally closed by a filling cap 36. For purposes of :increasing the capacity of the apparatus and economizing space, there are preferably two of these liquid tanks ranged one on each side of a centrally located and cylindrically shaped chemical container 3S, said container preferably having tapered bottom walls terminating in a discharge spout 39 having lateral openings 40 arranged therein. The liquid tanks 35 are connected at their bottoms by means of a connecting pipe 41.

42 indicates a hollow shaft or sleeve car rying spiral blades 43 and curved agitating arms 44. This sleeve extends up through the top wall of the casing and carries a gear 45 at its upper end. The lower end of the sleeve finds a bearing against the bottom wall of the discharge spout 39. lVhen the sleeve is rotated in the proper direction, the agitating arms 44 will tend to loosen up the chemical in the tank, providing the same is in granular or powdered form, and the spiral blade acting as an Archimedean screw will force said chemical down through the discharge spout and out through the lateral openings at the lower end thereof.

46 indicates a shaft finding a bearing in a top plate 47, beneath which top plate said shaft'has a pinion 48 and a gear 49 fixed thereto. Shaft 46 extends through the sleeve 42 and below the bottom wall of the discharge spout of the chemical tank, the lower end of said shaft being in alinement with shaft 19 but separated therefrom. 56 indicates a fianged collar mounted for longitudinal movement on shaft 46 by means of a slot and pin connection 51, said flanged collar being normally held downwardly by means of a coiled spring 52.

Referring now to Figure 16, it will be observed that the fianged collars 20 and 50 are provided with transverse slots to cooperate with pins rejecting from an interposed disk 53, this slot and pin connection between the shafts 46 and 19 compensating for irregularities in manufacture and permitting the shafts to be slightly out of axial alinement without disturbing their driving connections. of universal connection between the shafts 46 and 19 can be employed, but we prefer to use a forni which will permit parts to be separated, as when the frame with its water tanks, chemical tank and opera-ting mechanisin is removed from the bath pan for purposes of recharging, repairing, ctc.

It is obvious that any forml The chemical tank is provided with a charging opening 36, preferal'ily located inits top wall.

54 indicates a water spout leading from onel of the tanks 35 and discharging into and through the central opening in the top wall of the mixing pan. The upper end of this spout is closed by a valve 55 having astein 56 connected thereto, which stem leads up through the top wall of the tank and is adjustably connected toa lever 57. The inner end of this lever 57 cooperates with a cam projection 5S on the inside of gear 45, so that when gear 45 is `being rotated to recharge the mixing bath with a new supply of chemical in the tank 38, the rotation of gear 45 will cause the cam lug 58 to raise the valve 55 and at the same time admit a fresh supply of water or other liquid from tank 35 into the mixing pan. It is obvious that the diameter of the gearv 45 and its driving gear or pinion can be so proportioned that any desired number of revolu` tions, or only a part of afrevolution, of the Archimedean screw can be effected according to the chemical used, and alsothat the cam lug 58 can be made longer or shorter to deliver more or iess water or liquid to the mixing pan; or, that two or more cam lugs can be placed on the gear 45 if said gear is driven only a part of a revolution at each charging operation.

Referring to Figures 3 and4, 59 indicates an electric motor, although a spring kmotor or a weight could be employed, said motor having a shaft 60 extending up through the gear train plates 47 and 47 a (see Figure 11). 61 indicates a pinion on the motor driven shaft 60 meshing with a gear 62 on shaft 63, said gear 62 in turn meshingwith gear 49 on the upper end of shaft 46, before mentioned. Pinion 48, which is conjoined to gear 49, meshes with gear 64 mounted on v a shaft 65. Shaft 65 carries a pinion 66 meshing with a gear 67 having a projection 68 on its underside, which projection. is designed to cooperate with pins on the pe riphery of a wheel 69 and intermittently drive said wheel 69.

The train of gears just above described, operated from the motor shaft 60, and up to and including gear .68l will be constantly driven during the operation of the motor, the speed of the motor beingreduced by the ratios between the inter-meshing gears. The wheel 69 will be intermittently' driven. theel 69 is mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft 70 carrying a cam 71 at the inner end thereof (see Figures 13 and 14). As this cam intermittently advances in the direction of the arrow, it will in the course of its revolution, and just as it reaches the end of one half of a'revolution, raise aflat spring member 72 secured to the bottom of train plate 47 and having an opening which en.

circles a flanged clutch member 73, pinned or otherwise secured to a companion clutch member 74, which has conjoined thereto a pinion whose upper end is provided with clutching teeth 76. 77 indicates a ratchet toothed clutch member lined to the shaft G5.

-Vi7hen the motor is energized, the shaft G5 being in the driven train, and its clutch 77 out of engagement with clutch 76, will operate freely until cam 7l litt-s the clutch 7 6 into engagement with 77 .whereupon gear wheel 45 will be driven until it makes the desired part or number of revolutions to force a charge of chemicals into the mixing pan and also elieecting in such revolution the discharge of a lresh supply et water or..

liquid into said mixing pan. The intermittent gear 69 will permit the cam 71 to lreep the clutch members 76, 77 in engagement during a period or' rest oit said intermittently driven wheel 69. As shown in 'the drawings, wheel 69 is provided with nine pins on its periphery, although any number oit pins could be employed; but assuming illor purposes of illustration that nine pins are used, it is obvious that gear 681 must make nine vcomplete revolutions while the wheel 69 makes one complete revolution. lt will also be observed that shalt 46 is rotating continuously at a much higher rate olE speed than shaft 65, and, hence, when the motor is energized, shalt LG will start operating; sha't't 70 with the projection on cam 7l, located as shownin Figure 13 will travel about one half a revolution (or live pins on wheel 69 will have been engaged and operated) when the projection on cam 7l will engage and lift clutch member 75 into mesh with the driving clutch member 7 7 and during this engagement between the clutch members, wheel 45 will make one com plete revolution. During this revolution let wheel l5, cam projection 58 thereon will engage lever 57 and, 'through rod 56, lil't valve 55, heretofore referred to, and permit water 'from tank to enter the inigiing chamber. When cam projection 58 passes lever 57, valve 55 vwill close; therefore, the length of cam 58 (see Figure l5) or its speed of movement, determines the amount ot water discharged into the mixing chamber and the amount oi water thus admitted should be proportionate to the quantity of chemical refrigerant concurrently discharged into said mixing chamber, which, as will be obvious., can be controlled by th number oi revolutions imparted to the feed screw 43.

79 indicates a pin carried by wheel G9 which is designed to co-operate with a. bellcrank lever 80, pivotally mounted in a bracket 82 arranged on one of the trame members (see Figure 2). Bell-crank 8() is caused to be vibrated upon each revolution et wheel 69, and has a projecting finger 82 extending ther from, and also carries a pin 83 (see Fig. G) for engaging and lifting a lever 84. This lever Sil is pivotcd at 85 to an insulation block S6, secured to an upright frame member 7. 86 is a thermostatic bar whose upper free end co-operates with an extension. 87, carried by lever Self, and this thermostatic bar also has a contact plate 89 on its upper end which cooperates with a Contact point 90 on an adjusting screw 91 secured in a bracket extension 92 to bloclr 86, which block is preferably made of insulation material. rllhe thermestatic bar S8 is mounted on an insulation block 93 secured to the upright 7L by means oi' a plat-c having a binding post 95 to which a wire 9G is connected. Bracket 92 has a binding post 97 to which wire 98 is connected. These wires 96 and 98 lead to the motor, and when contacts S9 and 90 are in engagement, the motor circuit is completed. When said contacts S9, 90 are out of engagement, said motor circuit is broken. its properties oil bending and straighteningl under varying degrees o'l vteniperature, also serves as a switch blade, in effect, in making and breaking the motor circuit. lilear the upper end oli the thermostatic bar is a notch 88n and in the opposite cooperating edge ot lever 84; is a notch Se which. forms a shoulder Sill). rllhe outer end et lever Si; is weight ed as at Sflc.

.ln operation, we will assume that the mixing tank 5 is full of water or other liquid; that the taule are 'full oi water or ether liquid; and that the chemical tanl; 38 is filled with a suitable refrigerating chemical; and that the tappet and thermostatically operated contact making parts are in the position shown in Figures S and 9". The motor circuit will now be completed and the gear train set in operation with the result that the mining wheel ill and the propeller l be driven at a. relatively high spe. l

i he lo'rmer agitating the liquid 'iig tanli'.l and the latter i'orciug the liquid from said tank through the ci rculating` coils. These coils can, oi" course, be primed by introducing liquid thereinto through the coc/hV 33 so that the contents et the m ng uh need not be exhausted in this initial operation in filling the coils.

lill/Then, in the course oit the operation et the mining wheel and propeller, the cam 7l clutches in sleeve 412, the Archimedean screw will be operated to iliorce down a charge oit reifri s {erating chemical into the mixingltanlq and the valve will be raised. to admit a fresh supply oit liquid from tanks 35 into the .mixing tank. Then, these liquid and chemical charging devices will be disconnected 'from the motor driven train ot gears, but the motor driven train ot gears will continue to operate the mixing wheel and provvill Y l 'in the mii:-

Thermostatie bar 88 in addition tolili) lil fpeller 2]? nutii thc wheel (Si) has intermittently made a complete revolution, the last one-ninth of which, in the present instance, will engage and operate the tappet 8() and move it from the position shown in Figures 8 and 12 to the position shown in Figure 9. lVhen the pinion 7 9 approaches the lowermost limit of its final intermittent movement, a detaining and centeringl spring 99 (see Figure 12) cooperating with the pins on the wheel 69 will force said wheel to complete its revolution, being assisted in this action by the momentum of the armature of the motor in coming to a position of rest when the motor circuit is broken. The pin 83 on the outer end of the tappet 80 being raised will swing in a path or arc of movement intercepted by the thermostatic bar 88, and hence when said pin engages said bar, it will move the bar forwardly so as to break contact between contact plates 89 and 90'. 1When pin 83 is lifted, it will also raise the lever 84C moving the tongue 87 away from the thermostatic bar 88, thus permittingsaid bar to swing forwardly, and when the pin 88 :finally comes to a position of rest, as shown in Figure 9, it will lie against bar 88 which has been placed under tension, and is now under greater tension, the tappet 80 being thus held in a displaced position by friction. and because pin 83 lies above what might be designated as the angle of greatest movement between the tappet and the bar 88 within their zone of movement. The motor current now being broken and the bath in the mixing bath having been charged with a refrigerating ingredient, said bath and possibly some of the coils in the circulating pipe, if they have been charged with the refrigerating material, will immediately commence to absorb heat from the chamber or chambers which they occupy with the result that the thermostatie bar 88, as the temperature of its surrounding atmosphere is lo\\f'ered,will commence to move outwardly, or to the left or loiitwardly front the position shown. in Figure 9. It will take some little time for the reducing temperaturc to overcome the tension already placed in bar 88, but assuming that such time has transpired and that bar 88 moves forwardly from the position shown in Figure 9, such leftward .movement will eventually release pin Si; and permit thc tappet to swing to the position shown in Figure l0, in which. it will be seen that pin 83 is swung entirely away and is l'rec from bar 88. Lever 8i has been permitted to drop by this downward move4 ment of pin. 88, but said lever cannot follow the pin 83 because its shoulder 84b strikes on top of the lower edge of the slot 88a (see Figure 10a). This brings tongue 87 in close proximity to bar 88. As the refrigerating properties of the refrigerant in the mixing pan and coils causes its temperature to rise, i. e., when it has absorbed vas many heat units as possible within the range of the surface areas exposed to the chamber being refrig-i rated, then the thermostatic bar 88 on a rising temperature will start to move in an opposite direction, or towards the right. This rising temperature may be occasioned by the opening of the doors of the refrigerator, or by the continued absorption of the heat units in an endeavor to equalize the temperature of the refrigerant and its containing walls with the surrounding bodies of liquid or atmosphere. In any event, a rising temperature will cause the bar 88`to move rightwardly until the lower edge of its slot will pass beyond the shoulder 84h, when the lever 84 will be permitted to drop to the position shown in Figure 8. In dropping, tongue 87 will move the upper end of bar 88 so that its contact plate 89 will engage the` contact point 90 and complete the circuit through the motor. In dropping the lever 84, by virture of its lower curved surface, will engage the pin 83 of the tappet and move it close to the bar 88, as shown in Figure 8, in readiness for another operation. This action of bar 88 in making and breaking the motor circuit is practically that of a snap switch. First, the upper end of bar 88 is quickly and positively moved away from the contact point 9() a suiiicient distance to prevent arcing when the motor circuit is broken and bar 88 held under tension until the lowering ten'lperature will cause it to move leftwardly a greater distance so as to release the tappet 8() from its cocked position and place said tappet in position for operation. A rising temperature will cause bar 88 to move in the opposite direction, or ri ghtwardly, in a contact making direction, but this contact is not made nor is the completion of the motor circuit wholly dependent upon a rising temperature because lever 84:, having been caught in a half way position when the tappet 80 was released, stands ready when. the bar 88 moves rightwardly under a rising temperature to effect a quick snap :final movement of the bar the moment that the lever 841; iis released by the bar.

lhen the motor circuit is completed on a rising temperature, as above described, the cycle of operation, as above mentioned is automatically repeated, ii. e., a fresh charge of refrigerating cheniiical is introduced into the mixing pan, and a fresh supply of water or liduid is also introduced into said mixing pan. The refrigerating material will be forced through the coil of pipe and the excess or exhausted refrigerant will overflow into the waste pipe.

We have found that in addition to the nitrate of ammonia before mentioned, calcium chloride can also be used to advantage.

ing partly operated lov said intermittently operated mechanism.

In testimony whereof We hereunto ailix our signatures this 21st day of February,

WALLACE DM. JOHN WALTER DAY. 

